1. A New Culture of LearningCultivating theImagination for a Worldof Constant ChangeDouglas ThomasJohn Seely Brown

2. Authors Douglas Thomas Associate professor of communication at USC Focus on interactive media, gaming

3. Authors John Seely Brown Visiting scholar & advisor to provost at USC Background in information & learning research

4. The big idea

5. The big ideaUnderstand the profound changes brought about by digital technologyNOT a book about school reformPeople are learning by doing and asking fresh questions

6. Three key conceptsOur world is characterized by: Continual change Ubiquitous connectivity Unlimited access to knowledge resources

7. Arc-of-life learning The kind of learning that will define the 21st century happens without books, teachers, classrooms; however it requires bounded environments that provide complete freedom of action within those boundaries. New culture of learning also requires/has massive information network that provides unlimited access & resources to learn about anything.

8. A tale of two culturesMechanistic vs. Environment Mechanistic learning focuses on efficiency Learn as much as you can as fast as you can Only valued for results at end

9. A tale of two culturesMechanistic vs. Environment Authors believe learning should be viewed in terms of an environment Requires vast digital information network Boundaries serve not only as constraints but also as catalysts for innovation

10. A tale of two culturesMechanistic vs. Environment The new culture of learning will augment rather than replace traditional education venues New culture of learning focuses on learning through engagement within the world

11. A tale of two culturesThe primary difference between theteaching-based approach to educationand the learning-based approach is thatin the first case the culture is theenvironment, while in the second case, theculture emerges from the environment and grows along with it.

12. Embracing change21st century is about embracing change, not fighting itView the future as a set of new possibilities, not something that forces us to change

13. Example: WikipediaLook at Wikipedia from a perspective of either stability or embracing change and get two completely different readings of the siteMaking knowledge stable in a changing world is an unwinnable game

14. Example: WikipediaRequires a new kind of reading practiceMust have ability to evaluate a contested piece of information and decide for yourself how to interpret it

15. Learning in the collectiveNew culture of learning based on three principles: Old ways of learning unable to keep up with changing world New media forms make peer-to-peer learning easier Peer-to-peer learning amplified by emerging technologies that shape the collective nature of participation

16. Learning in the collectivePeople learn through their interaction and participationIn the collective, everyone is on equal ground no one is assigned traditional role of the teacher

17. Learning in the collectiveA collective is a collection of people, skills and talent that produces a result greater than the sum of its partsDefined by active engagement in the learning process

18. Concerns about the collectiveConcern about digital media is that it is rendering our lives too transparentSharing and privacy, and if youth can distinguish b/w what is appropriate for public domain and what is not

19. Concerns about the collectiveConcept of public vs. private goes back to Aristotle: Rhetoric was seen as speech for the masses (public) Philosophy regarded as subject for the personal (private)

20. Concerns about the collectiveAuthors argue that the private vs. public is not the best way to frame this distinction.They suggest a framework that has both elements, intertwining the personal with the collective.

21. Collectives in educationThe dreaded group project Students struggle to complete it Teachers struggle to grade it Why? Current model of the classroom has no way of measuring or evaluating collectives.

22. Example: BlogsBlogs were started w/ the intention of helping people w/ common interests start conversations.The success of a blog depends on two things: Reader comments Shared/external links

23. Harnessing the collectiveNew media technologies provide a means for truly harnessing the collective.The link between the personal and collective is a key ingredient in lifelong learning.

24. Tacit knowledgeTacit knowledge is understood or implied w/o being stated.Traditional education focuses on explicit knowledge. When information is stable, explicit knowledge is very important.

25. Tacit knowledgeToday we learn by doing, watching, and experiencing.It is not about taught knowledge, rather it is about absorbing knowledge.

26. Tacit knowledgeThe new culture of learning focuses onthe tension that develops when astudent has an interest they want toexplore, but are faced with a set ofconstraints that allow them to only actwithin given boundaries.

27. Tacit knowledgeWhich inspires you more? Finding answers and memorizing facts or Asking questions and inventing techniques to answer questions that matter to you

28. Tacit knowledgeThis style of learning inquiry creates motivation to learn.Asking questions is an act of imagination.

29. Tacit knowledgeYou can sometimes learn morefrom taking the wrong approachthan you can from taking theright one.

30. ConclusionWe need a new mode of learning, thinking, and doing.Explore, discover, and challenge to achieve lifelong learning.Questions are more important than answers.

31. Thomas, D., & Brown, J. S. (2011). A new culture of learning: Cultivating the imagination for a world of constant change. Lexington, Ky: CreateSpace. Questions?